1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a point of sales (POS) system in which a POS terminal can obtain data such as article prices from a central computer having a price look-up (PLU) table storing such article data. More particularly, it relates to a POS system in which article data stored in the PLU table can be immediately and easily updated from individual POS terminals. The POS system of the present invention can be used for sales management in, for example, a department store or supermarket.
2. Description of the Related Art
A POS system is generally used for sales management in department stores and supermarkets, etc. In this system, the central computer is located in an office remote from the POS terminals which are located at each sales counter. This arrangement enables accurate cash management at the time and point of sales, the collection of sales data, and the collection of proceeds data relative to each article sold, etc., to be carried out in real time by the central computer.
In a prior POS system, each POS terminal holds a PLU table storing article data such as unit costs per article, article name, and the classification code for each article (article code). The article code of each article is input to the POS terminal through a keyboard or scanner (bar code reader) provided at the POS terminal and thus calculation of the total proceeds, and the collection of proceeds data, etc., are performed by using the PLU table.
Article data, such as the unit cost of an article, is stored in the PLU table of each POS terminal is often changed on a daily basis, or even during the course of business. Therefore, it is necessary to transmit the article data in the PLU table for each day to each POS terminal, from the central computer, prior to the start of business, to update each day the content of the PLU table in each POS terminal. However, the transmission of the article data to each POS terminal every day takes a long time and involves a complicated procedure. In particular, when the necessity to update the PLU table, for example, to change unit costs, correct erroneous article data, or register new article data into the PLU table, etc., arises during the course of business, the central computer must correct the data in the PLU table and transmit the corrected data to all of the POS terminals. However, this operation wastes time, and during that time service at the POS terminals is interrupted, with the result that customers must be kept waiting for an inordinate length of time. Obviously, it would be preferable if the updating of the PLU table could be performed immediately from individual POS terminals, and the result of the updating be immediately and simultaneously reflected at all other POS terminals in the POS system.
Further, to require each POS terminal to contain the PLU table greatly increases the cost of the POS system.